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The Commoner.
VOLUME" 8, NUMBEE 4
Tht??ner- CANNONISM THE
ClIAlUJIS W. BllYAN, IllCIIAltl) I MCTCAM'K,
PuMIMicr. Editor.
C:4-30 South Twclftli Street
ISSUE
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THE COMMONER, L'ncoln, Neb.
WATCH THE THREATS
EVERY ONE HEARING OP THREATS TO
DISCHARGE WORKING MEN IN THE EVENT
OF MR. BRYAN'S ELECTION SHOULD COM
MUNICATE THE FACT TO NORMAN E. MACK,
CHAIRMAN DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, AUD
ITORIUM ANNEX HOTEL, CHICAGO, ILL.
Tho names of such inf own unts will not be dis
closed by Mr. Mack.
BLISS IN A PANIC
Cornelius N. Bliss, former treasurer of the
republican national committee, says there will
bo a panic if Mr. Bryan is elected.. Mr. Bliss
was the man who, as treasurer of the republican
national committee, handled the money belong
ing to the stockholders of railroad companies
and the money belonging to life Insurance pol
icyholders, which was misappropriated for the
use and benefit of tho republican party, and
for the misappropriation of which a number of
men were ostracized.
WHAT IS THAT RECORD?
Mr. Taft's friends insist that his record
especially qualifies him for the presidency.
What is his record. A United States judge for
a number of years, a governor of the Philip
pine Islands for a year and later secretary of
war. He was United States judge long enough
to render decisions that have aroused hostility
of the laboring men throughout tho country. Ho
was governor of the Philippines long enough to
make the Filipinos practically unanimous in
favor of independence and separation from the
United States. As secretary of war, lias ho
made himself popular, either with the soldiers
or with tho country at .large? Mr. Taft ought
to run .on his platform. If Mr. Taft attempts
merely to run upon his official record ho- will
-find that as impotent as his platform is or aB
his present speeches are.
.
DEMOCRATS TELL THE 'PEOPLE
ABOUT THEIR CAMPAIGN FUND fe
But republicans will do so "AFTER
0 THE ELECTION" when it is too late.
With which party will you vote Mr.
Republican Rank and Filer? With tho
party that opened its books or with tho
party that Is afraid to have the source
of its funds known?
IN CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN
READ WHAT A REPUBLICAN NEWSPAPER
HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE SPEAKER
SHIP QUESTION IN THE 1908
CAMPAIGN
The Richmond (Ind.) Evening Item, a re
publican newspaper 'in its issue of September
14, 1908, printed tho following editorial:
CANNON ENTERS TELE CAMPAIGN
When Speaker Cannon, leader of the bour
bon element of republicanism, took the stage at
the Illinois state convention and, after half un
dressing and pouring a pitcher of ice water down
his back, proceeded to give vent to a lot of vul
gar buncombe about Bryan and Gompers, he left
no doubt that he is an Issue In this campaign.
He is a greater enemy to the success of the
rermblican national ticket than Brvan and un
less he is eliminated from the campaign and the
possibility of his control of the next house of
representatives is removed, he will drive the
nation to elect a democratic house and jeopardize
the election of Taft himself.
It is very evident from the manner in which
he is entering the campaign to defend bis base
record as speaker, the endorsement of his ad
ministration as speaker which his state conven
tion pave him, and the manner in which the
' republican congressional committee is pushing
him to the front in this campaign, thai if he is
to be eliminated it must be done by the voters.
And by his unwarranted attack upon Bry
an's integritv, Cannon has opened the door to
his. vulnerability. He attempts to make out that
Brvan has accumulated wealth in a manner
which will not stand inspection. True, since
Brvan "peeled, him" in answer, Cannon has in-
sisted that he meant his remarks about Bryan
to be taken as a joke, but it is only too apparent
to all who read of Cannon's performance in
sounding tho "kevnote" of the Illinois republi
can state convention that he did nt intend it
as a joke. He simply took hold of a live wire In
' tho serenity of' his egotistic belief that. he was
so important a personage that his attack would
not be repelled. And now comes Mr. Bryan and
asks Cannon "Where did you get it?" It is no
secret that Joe Cannon Is immensely wealthy,
his store of the world's goods being estimated
by his fellow townsmen at "$5,000,000, although
since Brvan has raised the Issue of Cannon's
wealth, this estimate has been lowered by Can
non's friends to only $1,000,000.
Where did he get it? Mr. Bryan asks it.
The people ask it. As Mr. Bryan points out,
Mr. Cannon has been in congress for thirty-five
years on a salary of $5,000 a year, a salary
which the last republican Congress thought so
inadequate that it was increased to $7,500.
There Is no record of Cannon having ma do any
money by writing for magazines as Boveridge
has done, or lecturing from tho platform as
Brvan and LaFollette have done. If "Uncle
Joe" had been very economical and saved all
of "his salary for thirty-five years, he would have
$175,000, which is still $800,000 short of the
lowest estimate on his wealth. Where did he
get it? Representing the people or representing
the interests.
The Saturday Evening Post some time since
printed an article telling how Cannon controlled
politics in Danville, 111., Vermillion county, and
his entire district, by virtue of his control of
the financial institutions of that locality. The
same story has since been repeated In Colliers.
And now comes Samuel Gompers, whom Cannon
flayed, and says in reply:
"As I went around Danville and talked to
men I heard 'that's Cannon's bank over there,'
and 'that's another bank Cannon owns,' and
'there's the Cannon family's bank,' and 'there's
a business house which Cannon has mortgaged,'
and 'there's a factory which runs on money bor
rowed of Cannon,' and 'this whisky is sold over
Cannon's bar.' It is evident therefore that
Speaker Cannon controls not only the politics,
but the financial and liquor interests of his com
munity." And the question raised by Bryan, is again
presented "Where did he get it?" Was it worth
anything to him to be on the ways and means
committee for so long, standing for a tariff that
gave to many corporations a monopoly of their
product? Has it been worth anything to him
to be speaker and block every bit of legislation
which ha3 for its purpose the loosening of the
fingers of reed from the throats of tho Ameri
can people? Was it worth -anything to him to
fight the battles of the packing houses, to fight
the battles of the timber thieves, to fight tho
battles of the whisky i;ing, to fight against tlje
cleansing of the postal department, to fight
against cutting down the allowances made the
railroads for hauling the mails, to fight against
the provision which makes it unlawful for rail
roads to own and operate coal mines? Has it
been worth, anything to him continually and in
solently to oppose the people, incur their hatred
and earn their denunciation?
We should say that Cannon and his wealth
. is a paramount Issue in this campaign, and no
self-respecting citizen who loves .his country
and is desirous of honest government and right
eous government and democratic government
can lend his voice or vote to any man or meas
ure whose success means the retention of Can
non in politics.
Speaker Cannon is billed to open the cam
paign In Shelby ville. This is to be regretted.
Cannon's endorsement of Mr. Barnard means the
loss of Wayne county to Mr. Barnard, There
is no use to mince words or attempt to deceive
ourselves. The people of this county are against
any candidate who endorses Cannon and against
any candidate whom Cannon endorses. The re
publican leaders and state committee may not
care anything about the republican vote of
Wayne county in this campaign, but if they do
they should completely separate? the candidacy of
Mr. Barnard and the candidacy of Joe Cannon.
Wayne county is already lost to Watson, and
Mr. Barnard, as the accredited legatee of Mr.
Watson's congressional machine, Is having his
hands full to convince people of his independence
of Watson methods. The introduction of Can
non into this district will make Barnard's task
impossible.
THE WAY TO GET RID OF CANNON
ISM IS TO GET RID OF CANNON
THE WAY TO GET RID OF CANNON
IS TO ELECT A DEMOCRATIC HOUSE
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